Being a police officer

I’m thinking about becoming a law enforcement officer. Anyone live in any counties that only take certified officers and won’t pay for you to go to the academy? My county seems to be this way but I’ve heard from those in different states the majority of officers were able to get it paid through the county. I just need some help as I don’t want to pay thousands of dollars if I don’t have to. I went to HR and they said some non-certified positions should be opening soon but won’t give me a timeframe. And I need to start applying for the academy very soon.